Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation illuminates history in Candlelight House Tour

This former livery stable, turned auto repair shop, and now residence at 20 Mitchell Place will be open for visitors Dec. 7 during the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation's annual Candlelight House Tour.

This 1920 Craftsman at 85 Court St. is one of eight houses that will be open during the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation's 23rd annual Candlelight House Tour Dec. 7.

On Friday, |Dec. 7, the Saratoga Spring Preservation Foundation celebrates its 23rd annual Candlelight House Tour. Offering an opportunity to visit festively decorated private homes, the Candlelight House Tour is a wonderful way to ring in the holiday season and to get a glimpse into the city's unique architecture and history.

This year's tour features eight homes located in the Court Street and Marion Place area of the East Side Historic District. They were all built around the turn of the 20th century. One home that is particularly interesting on this year's tour is 20 Mitchell Place. The large, brick, vernacular-style building stands out from those around it because it was not originally built to be a home, but a stable.

The circa 1881 building was constructed for the boarding stable business of Commodore P. Mitchell, who built and lived at the house located at 231 Nelson Ave. After Commodore Mitchell's death, the building for a number of years housed a hotel livery service and later is speculated to have been used for the Stanton Brewery.

In 1920, Sherman D. Nichols purchased the property. His son, Gerald, converted the building into an automobile repair garage, initially associated with the Nichols and Lohnes Automobile Sales located at 45 Lake Ave. After Nichols and Lohnes dissolved, Gerald continued to operate the garage. After World War II, his son, Robert Nichols, joined the business. It remained a service garage until 1990. Since that time, the building had several owners who made changes allowing it to be used as a residence.

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In 2011, local designer Lisa Bates purchased the building and saw its potential. She transformed the interior to an open floor plan featuring a creative blend of modern and historic elements. Bates incorporated salvaged materials, such as reclaimed maple hardwood floors, barn doors and windows into the three-bedroom home. When asked what she enjoys most about her work, she said, "it is the excitement of reinventing a house and bringing it back to life."

Another home featured on the tour is at 85 Court St. The American Four Square featuring Craftsman-style details was constructed in 1922. The first resident of the house was Moe Green, the proprietor of the Bell Clothing Company located at 430 Broadway. The home was later owned by William Lodewick, an agent with Met Life Insurance, and his wife Charlotte. Starting in 1944, Charlotte lived in the house alone and rented rooms to others. In 1956, the house was purchased by former Saratoga Springs Mayor Ellsworth Jones and was home to the Jones family until 1979.

In 1995, Susan Sharp and John Koella rented the house from Rodney and Susan McKee, who had purchased it in 1979. Sharp and Koella purchased the house in 1998 following the death of Rodney McKee. "I just fell immediately in love with the interior woodwork of the house and thought it was an ideal neighborhood to raise our two children, Emily and Ryan," Sharp said of the home.

The house has been a labor of love for 18 years, and Sharp is proud of the work she and her husband have done and is thrilled to have the opportunity to open her home for others to see. She painstakingly restored the woodwork by removing layers of paint and found matching doors and hardware at Historic Albany Foundation's Architectural Parts Warehouse.

I hope you will join us on this year's Candlelight House Tour to kick-off your holiday season. The funds raised at this event support the foundation's ongoing educational programs and efforts to preserve the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

Candlelight House Tour

When:

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7

Where: Eight homes located in the Court Street and Marion Place area of the East Side Historic District; after party, 7:30 to |10 p.m., Union Gables Bed & Breakfast.

Tickets: $40 for Preservation Foundation members; $50 non-menbers, tour only; $75 and $85 respectively for tour and after party

The Candlelight House Tour is from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 7. While touring the homes, join in the Peppermint Pig Hunt by spotting the candy pig in each home and be entered to win a gift basket from Saratoga Sweets. While strolling through the neighborhood, enjoy the songs of holiday carolers, "The Mistletones," from Skidmore College.

The tour will be followed by an after-party at Union Gables Bed & Breakfast from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The After-Party will feature a silent auction, delicious food, holiday music and a cash bar.

This year's auction is packed with great holiday gift ideas, including, handmade original jewelry, holiday wreaths, centerpieces, artisan ornaments, box seats at the Saratoga Race Course, a cigar tasting, and an original work of art by artist Corey Pitkin.

In addition, many of the beautifully decorated guest-rooms at the Union Gables Bed & Breakfast will be open for viewing.

Those who want to attend the after-party are encouraged to purchase their tickets by Dec. 3, since space is limited. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (518) 587-5030 or go to www.saratoga|preservation.org. Tickets for the tour can be purchased beginning at |5 p.m. the night of the event at 112 Spring St., the former Public School No. 4.

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs. Samantha Bosshart is the foundation's executive director.